


thank you.

by soupcocku (BlueZephna)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: "hey man", Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Keith angst, NOT sheith, Post-Season/Series 02, i cant believe shiro is fucking dead, kangst, keith is fucking dissociating man, keith loves shiro as an older brother/mentor figure, or as I like to call it, takes place right after ep 13 of s2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-22
Updated: 2017-07-22
Packaged: 2018-12-05 08:28:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11574264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueZephna/pseuds/soupcocku
Summary: "Thank you," Keith breathed out in between tears.A crooked, yet oddly charming smile fell on Lance's face."For what?" he asked."Just... for being here.  Thank you."





	thank you.

**Author's Note:**

> this show and its creators fucking killed me man. please leave kudos/feedback if you like it! thank you.

Shiro was gone.

  
_Again._

  
Keith's breath caught in his throat as he saw the empty seat before, seeming out of place and bare without him sitting in it.

  
He was gone.

  
The sudden realization of what had happened hit him with the force of a million punches and his eyes grew wide in fear, desperation, disbelief; a whole spectrum of emotions flashing across his face within the span of less than a second.

  
It  _hurt_.

  
He had been gone for months. _years_.

  
Keith had lived out in the desert alone, in that desolate shack that he called home, waiting, _hoping_  for him to to return.

  
It didn't happen.  Or at least, it didn't happen until far too much time was lost and his resolve had almost been broken.

  
But then, things started to look on the upside for a bit.  He came back.   _Oh, he came back._

  
Shiro was here.  With him.   _safe_.

  
Where had those days gone?

 

He had lost him again, and that was that.  There was no way of knowing where he was, or what had happened to him.

 

 _Keith_ , he heard him say, _you_ _can do it.  We can power through this, together._

  
But Shiro wasn't here right now, and that voice, those fateful words, were only the fickle doings of his imagination.  He'd only been gone for a few minutes, and Keith missed him so bad it hurt.  Of course it did, after all he's been through, all _they've_ been through, he can hardly stand being separated from him too long without nearly going crazy.

  
Shiro was gone, and that was all that keith's mind knew.  All that he could think about, until they found him, or at least secured his location.

  
But what if they couldn't even do that?

  
What if Shiro was so far out there, so deep in the abysmal nothingness of space, that not even the castle could find him?

  
Who would pilot the Black Lion?

 

How would they form Voltron?

 

How could they, without their leader with them?

  
_What if Shiro was dead?_

  
_No_.  He didn't even want to think about that possibility.  His mind couldn't yet stomach the idea of that happening, and the mere thought of it made him to puke up all his insides and just... die.

  
Keith would rather die than live in a world where Shiro didn't exist.  He couldn't do it, not without _him_.

  
He hadn't realized how deep in his thoughts he was until a voice drew him out of it, soft and comforting, _and was that Lance's voice?_

  
"Hey, man..."

  
Keith couldn't hear the rest of what he said, just those first two words, and all he knew was that he needed _someone_.  Just someone to hold onto.  Someone to reassure him that this was real, that they weren't living in some drug-induced dream.

  
So Keith did the only thing his body would allow him to do in the moment, and reached his arms around Lance's shoulders and cried.  For the first time in years, at that.  He didn't care that the others were there, just that Lance was here.   _With him_.  Someone here to ground him in reality.

  
"Lance,"

  
The name had sounded bitter on his tongue before, when they were still self-proclaimed rivals, but now it felt quite the opposite.

  
"Thank you," Keith breathed out in between tears.

  
A crooked, yet oddly charming smile fell on Lance's face.

  
"For what?" he asked.

  
"Just... for being here. Thank you."

  
Lance hugged back tightly, and Keith suddenly felt a bit better than he had before.

 

 _Thank you_.


End file.
